Nation's First Proton-Certified Radiation Therapists Graduate

The first group of radiation therapists in the nation will receive their advanced proton therapy certificates from Ivy Tech Community College-Bloomington today. A graduation ceremony will be held at the ProCure Proton Therapy Center in Oklahoma City, the sixth facility to open in the country to offer proton therapy. Eight of the 13 graduates are employed at the Oklahoma center.

Source: Inside INdiana Business

The Ivy Tech Community College-Bloomington program is the nation's first proton therapy certificate program and operates as part of the college's Radiation Therapy Program.

Bloomington, Ind. – Jan. 13, 2010 – The first group of radiation therapists (RTTs) will receive their advanced proton therapy certificates from Ivy Tech Community College-Bloomington today, making them the first proton-certified RTTs in the nation. A graduation ceremony will be held at the ProCure Proton Therapy Center in Oklahoma City, the sixth center to open in the country to offer proton therapy, an alternative to X-ray radiation for cancer treatment that spares healthy tissue and results in far fewer short- and long-term treatment side effects.
The Ivy Tech Community College-Bloomington program is the nation's first proton therapy certificate program and operates as part of the college's Radiation Therapy Program. A portion of the program was held at the ProCure Training and Development Center in Bloomington, the only training facility in the world dedicated to proton therapy. Eight of the thirteen graduates are employed at the ProCure Proton Therapy Center in Oklahoma City.

“Our relationship with Ivy Tech has been very rewarding,” said Niek Schreuder, senior vice president of technology and medical physics at ProCure. “The training these RTTs receive helps ensure that the highest level of care will be provided to patients at our center in Oklahoma City. The demand for trained staff continues to increase as more proton therapy centers open across the country.”

“We are thrilled that our program develops graduates that can skillfully and compassionately serve the needs of patients with cancer across the nation,” said Larry G. Swafford, Ph.D., professor and chair of the radiation therapy program at Ivy Tech Community College-Bloomington. “Our affiliation with ProCure provides our students with hands-on training that is not available anywhere else in the world.”

The advanced proton certificate program provides 16 college credits or the equivalent of two years of continuing education (CE) credits from the American Registry of Radiologic Technologists (ARRT).

The ProCure Proton Therapy Center in Oklahoma City opened in 2009 and is treating patients. ProCure is developing a network of proton therapy treatment facilities across the country. Construction is under way on a ProCure facility in suburban Chicago. Additional centers are in development in suburban Detroit, South Florida, Seattle and Somerset, New Jersey.

To learn more about ProCure and proton therapy, visit www.procure.com or call 888-592-2854. For more information on the RTT proton certificate program call Ivy Tech at 866-447-0700, ext. 6350.

ABOUT PROCURE TREATMENT CENTERS
ProCure Treatment Centers, Inc., based in Bloomington, Ind., was founded in 2005 to improve the lives of patients with cancer by increasing access to proton therapy. ProCure collaborates with leading radiation oncology practices and hospitals and provides management leadership and a comprehensive approach for the design, construction, financing, staffing, training and day-to-day operations of world-class proton therapy centers. ProCure's solution reduces the time, cost and effort necessary to create a facility. ProCure is the only company in the world with a center open and treating patients, another under construction (Warrenville, Ill.) and four others in development (Seattle; Somerset, N.J.; South Florida; and Detroit, Mich.). ProCure's Training and Development Center is the first facility in the world dedicated exclusively to proton therapy. For more information, visit www.procure.com.

ABOUT IVY TECH COMMUNITY COLLEGE
Ivy Tech Community College (www.ivytech.edu) is the state’s largest public post-secondary institution and one of the nation’s largest singly-accredited statewide community college systems with more than 130,000 students enrolled annually. Ivy Tech has campuses throughout Indiana. It serves as the state's engine of workforce development, offering affordable degree programs and training that are aligned with the needs of its community along with courses and programs that transfer to other colleges and universities in Indiana. It is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission and a member of the North Central Association.